Tay Kay Chin December 2, 2009

Tay Kay Chin (b.1965, Singapore), spent more than a decade in newspapers in Singapore and USA and held positions from photographer to presentation editor. A photojournalism graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia, he has exhibited widely and his photographs are collected by Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European House of Photography in Paris and private collectors. A vocal advocate of photography in Singapore, he co-founded Shooting Home, Southeast Asia’s first photography workshop. In 2003, Hasselblad named him one of 12 Hasselblad Masters of the world, in recognition of his Panoramic Singapore series. In 2007, Becoming Capa, a short story he wrote in university was adapted and released as a full-length feature film, Becoming Royston; and in 2008, a photographic novella based on that short story was published.

About the Photograph:

“My project, “Foreign Talents: The Hands That Built Our Home” was in many ways forced upon me because of circumstances. For more than a year I was grounded to supervise the building of our little home. The travel ban was frustrating and challenged me to practice what I always advocated – that a good photograph can be taken anywhere. Through photography, I am getting to know a little more about the individuals who are helping to piece our future home together. I am curious, for instance, to know what brings them to Singapore, and who they left behind. Sometimes, I thought I could wait a day or two, only to find out that some of them are not coming back again. Maybe it is just fate, but the spot which I have chosen to make their portraits is where my future studio and home office is sited. Sometimes, being grounded is not such a bad thing.”

Editors Note: Tay Kay Chin and I met virtually when I interviewed him in the early internet days (circa 1996) for an article in zonezero on some of the innovative ways that photographers use the web. It was an exciting time. We were still using animated gifs instead of Flash with Netscape 1.0. Who could have imagined all of the changes- the rapid growth and improvements of digital cameras, hi-definition video and iphones. But perhaps, most importantly the global impact and ways that the playing field has changed in such a short period of time.

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Photographer and photo editor Geoffrey Hiller has created Verve Photo to feature photographs and interviews by the finest contemporary image makers today. Verve Photo is a reminder of the power of the still image. Verve Photo will also point you to new photo agencies, publications, and inspiring multimedia projects.